Into the Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

Hell."
    "Are you sure?"
    "Yeah. What's today's special?" Jules asked, giving Mary Lou a wink.
    Didn't it figure? The one man who flirted with her today was gay.
    Mary Lou didn't pretend to laugh at his joke. She couldn't. She couldn't so much as smile.
    She just stared at the cash register as she took their order, praying they wouldn't recognize her, praying they would just take their lunch and leave.
    "My turn to pay," Alyssa said to Jules in a husky voice that didn't have a trace of the deep south's honey and syrup. Everything about her was all business. Efficient and precise. Except for that lush mouth.
    As Mary Lou watched, she opened her fanny pack and got out her wallet.
    And it was then, while Mary Lou was giving her change, that Alyssa's gaze flickered down to her name badge.
    And then up directly into Mary Lou's eyes.
    And there it was. Recognition. Realization of who was waiting on her dawned in Alyssa's eyes. And Mary Lou couldn't hide the fact that she knew damn well who Alyssa was, either.
    For about seven seconds, no one spoke. Mary Lou actually dared to hope that Alyssa would turn away, pretend that flash of recognition had never happened. After all, there had to be at least several thousand women named Mary Lou in San Diego.
    But no. Alyssa had to open her perfect mouth. "I didn't realize you worked here."
    No shit, Sherlock. Mary Lou didn't doubt for one second that Alyssa wanted to avoid her as much as she wanted to avoid seeing Alyssa. If Alyssa had known, she wouldn't have come within two miles of this place.
    "Yeah," Mary Lou said instead. "I've been here for about three months now." And just so that Alyssa wouldn't think she had to work, that somehow Sam wasn't providing for her, she added, "Three four-hour shifts a week. Just enough to get out of the house for a while. See a few people who don't have diaper rash for a change."
    Jules was looking back and forth between Alyssa and Mary Lou as if he were mystified.
    "This is Lieutenant Starrett's wife," Alyssa told him.
    He instantly became expressionless and bland. "Oh, right. Of course. Mary Lou. We met at your house about six months ago."
    Yes, they did. Right before Sam left for Indonesia. Mary Lou certainly remembered. It was right before Alyssa Locke left for Indonesia, too.
    Are you in town to fuck my husband? The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she choked them back. She didn't have to ask. She already knew. Sam still mumbled Alyssa's name in his sleep.
    He swore—repeatedly—that he hadn't been with her since he and Mary Lou got married, that whatever had been between him and Alyssa was over and done with, a thing of the past. But it had been well over a year since Sam and Mary Lou got married. There was no way he'd still be dreaming about Alyssa if he wasn't still seeing her.
    No way.
    Sam wasn't the kind of man to go for months on end without sex. And he sure as hell wasn't getting any from Mary Lou.
    Jealousy clogged her throat and angry tears threatened to escape.
    "It's nice seeing you," Alyssa said insincerely.
    Mary Lou just stood there as they took their food and pushed through the doors, out into the heat of the sunny afternoon.
    "Earth to Mary Lou!"
    She turned to find Aaron the asshole standing right next to her. "Where the heck did you go?" he asked, laughing as if he'd made a huge joke. "Standing there, spacing out, like someone came and vacuumed out your brain."
    It took everything in her to keep from slapping him, simply for being a fool.
    "Your husband called a while ago," Aaron told her. "It was before you got here. I forgot to tell you. He said he'd try to make it in during lunch."
    Well, he hadn't. And Mary Lou didn't know whether to be upset about that or relieved. The only thing worse than seeing Alyssa would have been seeing Alyssa and Sam in the same room.
    "He said to say he's going out with the team tonight," Aaron continued. "He won't be back until tomorrow, probably in the evening."
    Of course Sam wouldn't make